A few years ago, many people wanted to receive different pens as a gift to practice their wonderful handwriting. These days, however, people want the latest models of tablets, computers, and phones, writing becoming technologically advanced. Even if we don’t pay so much attention to how we write, there are psychology specialists who argue that handwriting can reflect the personality and character of individuals. Can you believe it?

So, this rule applies to presidents as well and it is very interesting to see how they are represented by their handwriting and to what extent it is true or not. The internet or newspapers and books are full of biographies of presidents, but the handwriting is something intimate that not everyone has access to it.

Annette Poizner, the author of Clinical Graphology: An Interpretive Manual for Mental Health Practitioners, is a social worker and graphologist and she analyzed some presidential handwriting. Read on to see more!

George Washington, the first president of America

George Washington was the first president of the United States. Unfortunately, he died on the evening of December 14, 1799, at his home in Mount Vernon, aged 67. His last words were “Tis well”.

He liked the copybook script, which means he used the same letterforms from the elementary school, but with a few minor adjustments. “The writer who favors copybook script is a traditionalist – conservative, responsible, honoring and revering social and governmental institutions, playing by the rules/doing things by the book, dutiful,” said graphologist Annette Poizner.

The text written by the first president of America is quite readable which means that he was a direct and honest man.

John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams was a lawyer, diplomat, politician and the sixth president of the United States of America. John Quincy Adams wrote like a perfectionist because his letters are clearly articulated and this means that he loved to pay attention to details. The dots from the letter ‘í’ were perfectly and unusually created.

According to handwriting specialist Annette Poizner, “this would be a person who had perfectionistic tendencies,” she says. But the fact that John was a perfectionist is not a secret, because when he became a father, he forbade his son to see him again until the kid improved his grades at school.

 Annette said that “he would be attached to his details, the rightness of each because each would be carefully thought out. This would be his processing style: grounded in carefully analyzed premises, each considered fully, so he will have strong ownership or attachment to his perspectives. His driving motivation is ‘right action.’”

James Madison

James Madison was the fourth President of the United States of America. He was also one of the most important founders of the American state.

So, based on his handwriting it turns out that he had a rather shy and introverted personality because his signature was very small. “Small and concentrated [handwriting] expresses introversion and demonstrates the writer with excellent powers of concentration,” explains Poizner. “After all, look at how he concentrates on his words and letters.”

It is true that Madison was known as an introvert because he liked to spend time alone and his favorite activities were hiking or playing chess.

“Intelligence plus introversion means that the person applies their intellect in scholarly ways, versus being the life of the party – very heady, sharp analytical thinking style,” Poizner says. “The sharpness, though, shows a lack of social grace. The more expansive [and] rounded the writing, the more personable the writer.”

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was a US military man and statesman, who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837.

This president used to emphasize his signature with a line, and this means that he was a man who wanted to show his masculinity, to impose himself, with a good spirit of observation. This also means he was a good leader and proud of his work. “That line speaks volumes and provides context for thinking about this handwriting,” said the graphologist.

Andrew Jackson’s handwriting was clearly and carefully created and it means that he was very confident in his actions and very determined and his past confirmed this hypothesis.

John Adams

John Adams was the first vice president (between 1789 and 1797) and the second president of the United States of America (between 1797 and 1801).

He also was one of the most important supporters of the United States Independence War in Massachusetts and one of the major diplomats of the 1770s.

According to Poizner, “trembling and difficulties properly holding the writing instrument and executing the movement seems evident, particularly when looking at the last name: The line of the handwriting shakes when forming the last name.” Pinzer also suggests that “the handwriting looks frail, indicating a writer with physical energy that has been debilitated and has compromised his abilities.”

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the second vice president and third president of the United States of America (between 1801 and 1809), author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential of the “founding fathers” of the United States.

This president had a unique handwriting, and we say that because the text of the Declaration of Independence was written in one style and the other document with his signature was written in a completely different style. Can you believe it?

“It makes less of an impression when you see the signature separate from the text, but we know that this is how he did it and that he did have this dramatic difference between the two writing styles,” Poizner says.

Having different styles may mean that he had two personalities or two different and opposite opinions. The first part of the text indicates that he is a calm, intelligent and organized person who is also determined to do what is right for him and others. But the second text with large and unusual letters in the signature indicates that he wants to be in the center of attention and proud of who he has become.

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th president of the United States of America, between 1981 and 1989. He was also a highly influential voice of modern conservatism. Before serving as president, Ronald Reagan was a Hollywood actor and union leader.

The president has a surprisingly legible handwriting and he could be compared to a storyteller.

According to Annette Poizner, “the person who consistently maintains the legibility is showing the priority of clear, direct, and honest communication. The handwriting is down-to-earth if you think about it. It’s fleshed out. He doesn’t omit diacritics or important parts of letters, which is why it’s legible.”

The capital letters in his signature are pronounced which means that he is proud of himself and his work, with a unique personality that loves to express his feeling even through words. Well, this hypothesis is confirmed because he was an actor before being a politician.